


a haunting hour

by depugnare



Series: Black Sails Tumblr Drabbles [24]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Ghost Tour, Haunting, M/M, Multi, background madisilverflinthamilton, ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 14:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20641028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/depugnare/pseuds/depugnare
Summary: Five minutes in, Silver realizes he should have stayed home with Thomas, who had taken one look at the description of the ghost tour, said no thank you, and went to make himself some dinner.





	a haunting hour

Five minutes in, Silver realizes he should have stayed home with Thomas, who had taken one look at the description of the ghost tour, said no thank you, and went to make himself some dinner.

Now he and Flint are pouting at the back of a group while Madi is up at the front, taking every opportunity to correct the guide taking them around Savannah.

“Why is it so hot?” he complains, looking over at Flint. “It’s seven o clock in the evening, I shouldn’t be sweating.”

“Because it’s August,” Flint says testily. “If we’d wanted to watch Madi argue, we could have gone to trivia night. Indoors. With air conditioning.”

“You hate trivia,” Silver says, rolling his eyes and going to tug lightly on Madi’s sleeve. “Love, let the man do his job. You can write a long review at home.”  
  
Madi looks like she’s going to argue with him now, but Silver just gives her a tired look.

“Fine,” she says. “But I want breakfast in bed tomorrow.”

“You can have whatever you want,” Silver says, tugging her to the back of the group. Other people give them annoyed looks and he just gives them a fuck off look and goes back to standing beside Flint.

“Through bullying that college student?” Flint asks Madi and she sticks her tongue out at him.

“Well, if he’s a history major then I look forward to destroying his article in the next magazine I review,” Madi huffs, crossing her arms. “He didn’t even mention who maintained all these historic homes!”

She goes and Flint adds some points here and there, but Silver has heard the speech on the (purposefully) hidden past of the city enough to recite it in his sleep. What captures his attention, is a squat little building that’s advertised as _The Pirates House_ on the sign above the door. A row of cartoonish jolly roger flags hang listlessly in the muggy evening air, but Silver feels something like dread race up his spine at the sight of them.

“John?”

He turns to see Madi giving him an irritated look. “James is arguing with me about the foundation of the city. He says Oglethorpe was here earlier.”

“Mhm,” Silver says, turning back to the building. It looks to be a bustling little restaurant now, people going in and out and laughing. He can feel Flint press against his back, arm coming up around his waist.

“I could go for some pub food,” Flint says, and Silver glances up at him in astonishment. Couldn’t he feel the pure fucking _malice_ radiating off the place?

“How about we go somewhere else?” he says. “I’m a little tired of pirates after all.”

But Madi is already headed towards the building, and Silver knows she’s interested because of the historic style of it. The bricks are 18th century and Silver knows she’ll want to ask the owner about the place. Flint pulls him towards it and Silver follows, even though it feels like nails across the chalkboard to get any closer.

“What’s the matter?” Flint asks as they walk inside. “Scared it’s haun-”

He stops so suddenly that Silver nearly crashes into him, and Silver glances up with a concerned look. Flint’s face has gone an awful, sickly white and for a moment Silver’s afraid he’s going to be ill.

“Flint?” he asks, squeezing his arm. “James?” when he gets no response.

Flint is still for another moment, then he seems to pull himself out of whatever place he’s trapped in, shaking his head. He’s still pale, but he turns to Silver with a shaky grin.

“Must be dehydrated,” he says. “I got dizzy for a moment there.”

“Well, let’s go sit down,” Silver says, pushing him over to the table where Madi is already seated. She’s looking at a menu, but Silver can tell she isn’t reading it.

“Are you alright James?” she asks. “You look green.”

“Dehydrated,” Flint says again, and Silver flags down a waiter to ask for water for him. They come over a moment later, asking if they want anything to eat, but only Madi manages to say anything.

Silver is too busy looking at the mural on the wall, on which hangs a worn map nestled in a wood frame.

“The pirate theme is…interesting,” Silver says absently, looking around them. “Though this whole city seems obsessed with them.”

“It’s one of the oldest buildings in Georgia apparently,” Madi says, reading the back page of the menu. “At least, one that’s still standing. They say pirates used to stay here, but it was established well past the time for that in this area.”

Flint makes an absently interested noise as he sucks his water down at a desperate pace and that’s how Silver knows he truly isn’t feeling well. Any mention of naval history can send him on an hour long lecture about the evolution of the forestay. 

“They say Captain Flint died upstairs,” Madi says, reading further. She snorts. “How can a fake man die in a real place? That map on the wall is from that ridiculous book.”

She keeps reading but Silver feels sick himself now. He glances over at Flint, who’s staring at the map.

“Mr. McGraw,” he tries to tease. “Did you name yourself after a pirate?”

Flint stands and the room seems to tilt, Silver’s tongue tying itself into knots in his mouth. 

“Where are you going?” Madi asks, setting down her menu. Her voice could be miles away, centuries.

“The bathroom,” Flint says, even as he makes his way towards a set of stairs leading up. Madi looks over at Silver, who shrugs, but they both get up to chase after him.

No one seems to notice them as they make their way up the stairs, Madi holding out her arm to keep Silver steady. Flint doesn’t wait for them, disappearing down the hallway before they even make it to the top.

“James!” Madi calls out. “Where are you going? We’re not supposed to be up here alone!”

Flint looks over his shoulder at her for a moment and Madi’s nails dig into Silver’s arm at the look in his eyes. The air is thick and hot, suffocating, and the smell of rot permeates the air. Silver struggles not to choke. There’s a horrible rattling noise as the lights go out one by one overhead until there’s only a dim yellow light at the end of the hall.

Flint turns and lurches forward, leaning against the wall the closer he gets to the last bedroom on the right. 

Silver feels pure terror at the thought of him entering that room. 

“Madi,” he gasps, “Stop him!”

The desperation in his voice must be enough for her to leave him, sprinting down the hall to grab Flint by the back of his shirt. She yanks hard enough to send him tumbling into her. Flint struggles against her hold, thrashing in an attempt to reach the doorway. Silver hurries past them, reaching out to close the door.

The door won’t budge for a moment, rattling with the force of Silver’s pulling until he manages to slam the door shut. Immediately the air clears, becoming cool and air conditioned again. Down below they hear the chatter of people dining, and the smell of rot has faded.

“What the fuck?” Silver whispers to himself, turning to look at Madi. Her eyes are wide, arms tight around Flint where she has them wrapped across his waist.

Flint looks shell shocked, leaning heavily against her, hair damp and stuck to his forehead with sweat. He looks up at Silver with haunted eyes and Silver feels the door rattle behind him.

“I know this place,” Flint whispers to himself. “I know this place. These walls. I know them. My bones-”

His voices fades as he whispers to himself and Silver isn’t one for believing in the supernatural, but he’s about to admit that perhaps this city really is haunted.

“John,” Madi says softly, motioning with her chin towards something hanging on the wall beside him. “Doesn’t it….look like him?”

Silver turns to see a sketch on the wall, old and worn with age. It’s authentic, he knows parchment when he sees it, being married to two historians, but it’s the lines of charcoal that draw him in. It’s a drawing of an old man, still handsome though his eyes are hollow as they stare out at the hallway. It’s like someone has put their hand on the back of Silver’s skull, forcing him to lean in and study the features of the drawing.

He’d know those eyes anywhere. But he shakes his head and turns to look at Madi.

“I don’t know, not really? Maybe it’s the cheekbones? He’s not that old.”

Madi gives him an incredulous look, but Silver doesn’t care. He comes over and pulls them up off the wall, pressing Flint between them.

“Come on,” he says. “Let’s get out of here. I need a drink. A real drink, at a real bar, that isn’t overpriced and fully of creepy shit.”

Madi doesn’t protest as he practically pushes them down the stairs, hardly making a sound as she digs in her purse for a twenty to put on the bar as they leave. Is trembling by the time they reach the front door, still shaken as they walk down the street.

“We are never doing a ghost tour again,” Silver says as they walk, but none of them laugh. Flint is still clinging to both of them, silent.

“We are never coming back to this city,” Madi says “Never liked it anyways. Too hot.”

“Too haunted,” Flint says, breaking his silence.

Silver is inclined to agree.

-

-

-

Upstairs there is a rattling, like bones, like death throes, before the doorknob clicks and the last door on the right swings open one last time. 

**Author's Note:**

> The Pirate's House is actually a real place in Savannah and they DO advertise that Captain Flint supposedly died upstairs.


End file.
